Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

Chapter 550 Are you sure this child has nothing to do with you?

Konoha Ninja Academy

This renowned academy, located in the bustling heart of Konoha, was built with investment from the Land of Whirlpools at the village's inception.

In exchange, the Land of Whirlpools will send a group of students to study there every year, exchanging ideas with Konoha and achieving a win-win situation.

The principal is a leader of Konoha. The previous principal was Tobirama Senju, who died in battle. The current principal is Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konoha, whom he placed great hopes on.

Inside the principal's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was reviewing the list of graduating genin, puffing away loudly on his pipe, the pungent smell causing the people nearby to frown.

"Hiruzen, why is your smoking habit getting worse?"

Unable to bear it any longer, Uchiha Kagami got up and opened the tightly closed window. As the cool breeze blew in, everyone's brows relaxed a little.

"I've been under a lot of stress lately, so I smoked a little more."

Noticing the disapproving looks from those around him, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave an awkward smile, took down his burning pipe, and turned to ask Uchiha Kagami, who was getting some fresh air by the window, with a questioning gaze.

"By the way, Kagami, are you really not planning to take on a few disciples?"

"You know, we Uchiha aren't suited to be Jonin leading teams. Besides, I have too much work to do right now, and some bad news has just come from the border."

Uchiha Kagami shook his head slightly upon hearing this. If he were still an ordinary Jonin, he might have chosen to bring a few students along to add some fun to his life.

But now, his status has undergone a complete transformation. As the Party Secretary in charge of external affairs, he has more work to do every day than he can finish.

"Is this Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village)?"

Whether out of prejudice against the Black Prisoner or not, Danzo, upon hearing Uchiha Kagami's words, immediately spoke up to ask a follow-up question.

"You guessed wrong. This time it's Iwagakure. According to intelligence, Iwagakure has been amassed troops on the border recently, probably brewing some kind of nefarious conspiracy."

A hint of worry lingered in Uchiha Kagami's eyes. Once Iwagakure fired the first shot, the entire ninja world might be entering its most chaotic era since the end of the Warring States period.

After so many years of biding their time and building up their strength, the overall strength of the major ninja villages has developed by leaps and bounds.

Well... aside from Kirigakure, they've been tormented by the Uzumaki clan for the past few years, and their strength hasn't improved at all; in fact, it seems to be regressing.

Furthermore, rumors have circulated that internal conflicts are frequent in Kirigakure, with bloodline clans repeatedly attempting to force the Mizukage to abdicate, truly indicating a predicament of both internal and external troubles.

"Should I send a spy over there?"

Danzo frowned almost imperceptibly, then asked,

"Then I'll have to trouble you."

Without refusing, Uchiha Kagami nodded slightly. It was precisely at times like these that the importance of intelligence became apparent.

"Danzo, I only lent you those Anbu members temporarily. How come you're using them so skillfully?"

During the Tailed Beast Rider exams, Danzo borrowed some Anbu members from Hiruzen Sarutobi under the pretext of manpower shortage. Now that the exams have been over for so long, Danzo shows no intention of returning them, and even treats them as his private army.

"Monkey, what you're saying is hurtful. Do you really think we're different people?"

Danzo, looking heartbroken, tearfully accused his childhood friend of his heartless actions, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi completely bewildered.

"Public matters are public matters, and private matters are private matters. If you want intelligence agents, train them yourself. The secret service also has its own responsibilities."

"You said it yourself, so I'll go and hire people."

Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Danzo's eyes lit up. His ANBU subordinates were inherently an unstable element; while easy to use, they ultimately only served the Hokage, unlike the trusted confidants he had raised from childhood who were more reliable.

"Don't do anything reckless."

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, sensing Danzo's ulterior motives.

"Don't worry, I will never use coercive methods. Perfect, you can write me a letter so I can recruit people from the various ninja clans."

Danzo solemnly raised his hand and swore an oath, speaking with such conviction that it was convincing.

"Okay, I'll send you an article in a while."

Rubbing his temples with a slight headache, Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to the task.

After all, there were too many shady dealings between him and Danzo, so giving him some benefits would be good for his future work.

At least someone will be willing to take the blame for them.

"Hmph~"

Having achieved his desired result, Danzo smugly stepped aside, his eyes gleaming with ambition, and began to ponder which ninja clan to target first.

Nara?

Too smart, can't have him.

Akimichi?

They eat too much; I can't afford to feed them.

In the mountains?

Perfect for interrogation!

"Are you interested in taking Danzo with you?"

"no."

His career hasn't even taken off yet, how could he have the time to take care of a little kid?

"We're not available either."

When Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze shifted to Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, the two shook their heads in unison. They were burdened with the important mission of revitalizing their clan and simply did not have the extra energy to take care of children.

"I'm interested, Hiruzen. Give me a few motivated kids, and I'll train them into excellent ninjas."

Meanwhile, Akimichi Torifu, who was eating the pastries served in the office, raised his hand expectantly.

While the F6 were dividing up the spoils of Konoha, Akimichi Torifu got the most leisurely position of logistics manager. His daily work consisted of signing documents and stamping stamps, so much so that he lost several pounds from boredom.

"Okay then, take a look at the list."

Remembering his friend's aggressive fighting style, Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated for a moment, but ultimately handed over the list of genin he had.

He's just a low-ranking ninja, so he probably won't be too aggressive, right?

"Are these the only children left?"

Akimichi Torifu glanced at the list, a look of confusion on his chubby face. The number of genin this year was not small, so why were there only a few kids left who hadn't been assigned?

"I deliberately kept these children. They had a good relationship with Tsunade when they were in school, so I decided to choose two of them as Tsunade's future partners."

"Are you trying to fulfill a promise you made back then?"

"Yes, this can be considered an explanation to the Senju clan."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and reached for the pipe on the table, but was stopped by a piercing glare from Kagami Uchiha, leaving him only able to laugh awkwardly.

Previously, the Senju clan was heavily indebted and on the verge of disbanding, seemingly destined to disappear from the world. Unexpectedly, at the crucial moment, Senju Hishin emerged, excelling in the Tailed Beast Rider trials and becoming the new pillar of the Senju clan.

This forced Hiruzen Sarutobi to take the Senju clan seriously, and his purpose in accepting Tsunade as his disciple was more to extend goodwill to the Senju clan.

"I see."

Everyone belatedly nodded in agreement. Among them, Akimichi Torifu, who had a desire to take on disciples, asked curiously,

Do you have any children you would recommend?

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed to a name on the list.

"This student named Orochimaru is quite good. He ranks at the top of his class in all subjects and is a rare genius. His parents are also Konoha ninjas, so he has a clean background."

"I don't want to. He looks effeminate. This blue-haired guy looks more masculine than him."

Looking at Orochimaru's long, straight black hair and pale skin, Akimichi Torifu rejected the seemingly frail-looking child without hesitation, and casually pointed to Kato Dan beside him.

"This child is Kato Taka's son, the most talented ninja in the Kato clan right now."

After glancing at Kato Dan's name, Hiruzen Sarutobi, based on the information, explained aloud.

"What?! He's the child of 'Finger of God'? I'm definitely going to take him in! Hiruzen, don't try to take him from me!"

The name of the Finger of God is known to everyone in Konoha.

How Kato Taka, the ninja with the fastest hand seals in the Land of Fire, honed his agile yet powerful fingers remains an unsolved mystery.

Akimichi Tokifu is currently unmarried and urgently needs a superior skill to support himself and give him more confidence in finding a partner in the future.

With this in mind, he waved his hand and brought Kato Dan back under his command, preparing to extract the secret of the Finger of God from his future disciple.

"Tsk~ I didn't realize you were this kind of person, Tokifu."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a wry smile, a smile that any man could understand. Unlike the single Akimichi Torifu, he was already married with children and didn't crave the Finger of God much, so he generously handed over the Divine Sword to Kato.

"Then I'll take Orochimaru with me."

After selecting one candidate, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his attention to the remaining children. After some deliberation, he picked up the file of a white-haired brat and nodded with satisfaction.

"This child is quite talented, let's choose him for now."

"Might Guy, his chakra talent is extremely low; he even struggles to unleash the Three Body Technique. How did a kid like that graduate?"

On the other side, Akimichi Torifu, who had obtained the information on Might Guy with the melon-shaped haircut, said with a surprised expression,

"Is his family very wealthy?"

"On the contrary, his family was so poor that they couldn't even afford to eat."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who remembered the information about Might Guy, shook his head and explained.

"His chakra talent is extremely poor; only his taijutsu is decent."

If it weren't for the fact that Might Guy and Tsunade were quite close, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't have kept him until the end.

The purpose of keeping these children was to select those who were familiar with Tsunade. This would reduce internal conflicts, create a more harmonious atmosphere, and make it easier for her to lead the team.

"If it's physical combat, then I'll choose him."

After hesitating between the muscular Might Guy and the timid little boy Hiruko, Akimichi Torifu realized that even a second of hesitation would be disrespectful to himself, and simply took down the melon-headed man.

"Let me see his perseverance!"

To graduate successfully through physical skills, this child must have put in several times the effort of his peers, demonstrating remarkable perseverance, which is exactly what Akimichi Torifu is looking for.

"Hiruzen, this child is not right for me."

Akimichi Torifu shook his head and handed back Hiruko's information.

"Hirukoma. He was the top scorer in this year's theoretical exam, but unfortunately, his physical talent is too poor."

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a little sorry for this child; if the child had a slightly better physical talent, he could have easily become an excellent Jonin.

He didn't want to waste time on Hiruko, so he casually tossed her information back, intending to arrange for a Jonin to take over.

"Huh! Hiruzen, what's wrong with this brat?"

Suddenly, Akimichi Torifu, who was holding a document, blinked with a strange expression on his face.

"What's wrong?"

His friend's reaction successfully piqued Hiruzen Sarutobi's curiosity, so he took the documents and examined them carefully, but found nothing unusual.

"Is this just an ordinary child?"

"Haven't you noticed that his eyes look a lot like yours?"

"ha?"

"What? Let me see!"

Akimichi Torifu's words instantly ignited the entire room. The others immediately gathered around out of curiosity, and when they saw the slightly lewd-looking kid in the photo, they all revealed strange smiles.

"Hiruzen, are you sure you haven't wronged Lake Biwa?"

Danzo stared at Jiraiya's lewd little eyes for a long time, then asked in a serious tone,

"What nonsense are you talking about? How do I resemble him at all?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi placed a photo of Jiraiya, speaking righteously, next to his own face, attempting to dispel the rumors with his deep gaze.

"Forehead"

"Monkey, I'll treat you to drinks and entertainment after get off work."

Suddenly, Danzo said something out of the blue.

"Okay~ I'll order ten!"

Upon hearing the words "flower wine," Hiruzen Sarutobi instantly revealed a lewd smile, and the moment this expression froze was exactly the same as the photo of Jiraiya next to him.

"You still want to argue? This child is yours, and as for this... Hatake Sakumo, I'll take him."

Now that the evidence was irrefutable, Akimichi Torifu reached out and snatched the candidate information that Sarutobi Hiruzen had prepared. After glancing at the name, he immediately recruited the candidate into his ranks.

"Huh? Does it really look that similar?"

After taking out a mirror and examining himself closely, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't find any resemblance between himself and Jiraiya.

"It's not that they look alike, it's their aura."

Uchiha Kagami shook his head slightly; lewdness is a talent that cannot be concealed.

"I don't understand what you guys are talking about. Oh well, it's okay if we almost were. A team can't be full of geniuses."

Since Sakumo Hatake, whom he had previously chosen, was snatched away by Torifu Akimichi, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to add Jiraiya to his team.

Bang bang bang——

"Enter."

"Hokage, Secretary, advisors and elders, the graduating genin have arrived."

Upon entering, the visitor bowed to everyone in turn, and finally explained the purpose of their visit.

"Let's go, let's see the new seedlings of Konoha!"

The group moved to the school playground, where a huge open-air venue had been set up. Genin were chatting and sharing their ideas about leading a team of Jonin.

"Let me tell you, my family has already made arrangements for me. My teacher is the very famous xxx."

Wow~ Really?!

"How could it be fake? Don't you even know my last name?"

A genin from the Ninja Clan Alliance proudly showed off to the surrounding genin, thoroughly enjoying the envious glances.

"Hmph! It's just xxx, nothing more than a roadside tree. My future teacher is the Third Hokage."

Tsunade and her group, arriving late, overheard the words of the genin from the ninja clan. Jiraiya, his face full of pretense, curled his lip and uttered something that made his companions roll their eyes in disbelief.

"Damn it, the side effects are coming out of nowhere. Orochimaru, Jiraiya turning into a sugar man is entirely your fault."

(End of this chapter)